Shortly after Disney took a stand this afternoon and paused the theatrical release of Pixar’s Turning Red in Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine, Warner Bros has officially stopped the release of its highly anticipated The Batman for now in Russia. The movie was set to open on March 3, and Deadline was informed by the studio that the movie was still set for release; that a DCP was over in the country. Note, Universal in a joint venture service deal handles the distribution of Warner Bros movies over in Russia.
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film, The Batman in Russia. We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.” Warner Bros. just announced.
The Batman is a highly anticipated movie. Stateside this weekend it’s expected to make at least $115M.
I hear that Warner Bros. pulled The Batman as it was the right thing to do in the current political climate. Even though theaters are privately owned, not state-owned, in Russia, we haven’t heard any information about about the country encouraging a ban of Batman.
Recently, Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home cleared close to $45M in Russia, and the country’s moviegoing is bouncing back from the pandemic.
The Batman is getting a theatrical release in China unlike rival Marvel’s movies of late, scheduled for March 18.